MAGICAL things happen at Drumralla Stables in Newtownbutler.

Once every month this special place is where autistic children in Fermanagh are given a new lease of life thanks to their horse riding class with the local branch of the National Autistic Society.

The trip to Drumralla is the highlight of seven-year-old Rhiona Maguire’s month.

An aspect of her autism means she is non-verbal.

But while she cannot express her excitement through words, her mother, Tanya, says it is written all over her smiling face.

Rhiona’s diagnosis initially hit Tanya hard.

“She was late with all her milestones,” the Enniskillen mother recalls, “She only started to walk when she was 19-months-old. I kept making excuses for her speech. I thought: ‘We are doing all the talking for her -- how could she talk?’. I was just putting it to the back of my mind.” And when her sister Orla suggested Rhiona might be autistic, she was devastated.

“I devoured her,” Tanya confesses, “I thought: ‘Who do you think you are? She will come at her own speed’.” But Rhiona’s health visitor saw the signs of autism too.

She was quickly referred and diagnosed.

“It was very hard to accept,” says Tanya, “Rhiona’s needs are so severe, I was left wondering what it meant for her future.” But she found solace in the local NAS support group.

“The group is fantastic,” she says, “Everyone there has a story. And it is so comforting to know you are not alone. The thing about the group is that it is run by families who know exactly what support is needed. Which is how the horse riding classes came about.” It has been suggested that a horse’s constant motion transfers to the rider, building their strength and prompting sensory connections and motor coordination.

Rhiona’s reaction to the horses is the perfect testament to this theory.

“This great peacefulness comes over her when she gets to the horses,” says Tanya, “I just see the excitement written all over her face. I see a confidence in her now which was never there before. It means the world to me.

“All the children there think the horses are fantastic.

“I remember one boy being asked to smile for a photograph. He started to pose straight away on the horse.

“His mother told me: ‘It is very rare that he would ever smile’.

“He just had that affinity straight away for the horses. And it was the same for Rhiona.” Tanya says she has witnessed a significant change in her daughter’s coordination and communication skills as well as her muscle control.

“When she knows she is going to the horses you can see the excitement straight away. I can see the response behind her eyes and I know she understands what I’m talking about.

“She is making a lot more eye contact now too.

“Because she is non-verbal, I cannot hear her thoughts, but I have only to look at her face to see the excitement when she gets to the horses.” The local NAS group is making great strides forward in securing more support for families in the West.

It has recently acquired a new premises at 11 Darling Street, Enniskillen. “The group are very excited about this new building and the huge potential it has for children/adults with Autism,” says chairperson of NAS in Fermanagh, Orla Humphreys, “There are plans for workshops on independent living, games night for the older age bracket, Arts and crafts room.

“There are lots of activities in the pipe line as we now have a base big enough to accommodate the needs of the children and adults with Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and all this would not have been possible to fund without the generous donations from local people. businesses and schools through out the town.” New members are always welcome to join the Society, the only requirement is that you are a parent/carer of a child/adult with Autism or ASD.

NAS meets at Darling Street on the third Wednesday of each month at 8pm.

For more information, contact the local branch on: 07824 596345.